Typical household items can pose hidden risks

Associated Press PhotoSwallowing button batteries like the ones in these light-up toy rings can be fatal or cause serious harm.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — ost parents would agree that they try to keep their homes safe for their kids. But they don’t always know what could harm their children. Check out this quiz to see how well you understand some of the most common causes of unintentional and intentional poisoning in children and teens.

1. Common chemicals around the house can provide a free, cheap, but potentially deadly high for kids. TRUE or FALSE?

2. It’s not likely that a child would be seriously harmed if he took extra vitamins. TRUE or FALSE?

3. Nicotine gum doesn’t contain enough nicotine to be harmful to children or teens. TRUE or FALSE?

4. Button batteries are basically harmless if one gets stuck in the esophagus (“food tube”), nose, or ear. TRUE or FALSE?

ANSWERS

1.TRUE: Huffing, the deliberate inhalation of volatile substances, has been around for years and remains a growing concern amongst health specialists and toxicology experts. The behavior is also referred to as dusting, bagging, or sniffing depending on how the chemicals are inhaled. It’s an easy high for kids who want to experiment, but don’t have the money or know how to purchase drugs.

Some common substances can be lethal even in small amounts and even if the person is doing it for the first time. One such product is computer keyboard spray cleaner. Other common products include aerosol air freshener, permanent markers, airplane glue, rubber cement, cooking spray, whipped cream, spray paint, freon, carburetor cleaner, gasoline, correction fluid (Whiteout), paint thinner, fabric protector, degreaser, dry cleaning fluid, and many more. For more information go to inhalant.org.

2. FALSE: Vitamins, especially colorful, sweet character ones labeled “Complete” contain approximately 17 mg of iron in each tasty tablet. Prenatal vitamins now come in chewable fruit flavors to accommodate the moms with morning sickness. Those vitamins typically contain 27 mg — at minimum— of iron. It’s easy to see how a toddler or young child could eat all the pills in the bottle when they are made to look and taste like candy. This is a serious and potentially fatal medical poisoning emergency.

3. FALSE: Nicotine, even in relatively small doses is toxic for small children. Take care to keep nicotine gum out of the reach of children and teens. Have you even seen a kid with a pack of gum? Do they eat ALL of the gum in just a few minutes? Enough said. If you think your child or teen has ingested nicotine gum or applied a patch without a doctor’s orders, remove the medication if possible and get medical help.

4. FALSE: While it’s true that most button battery ingestions don’t cause any harm, there’s no way to tell which battery will become lodged and which one will pass without a problem through the digestive system and out through the bowels. A battery lodged in the nose or ear can cause local tissue destruction. This type of incident needs medical attention immediately. In some cases, the battery seems to have been swallowed, but the child may continue to complain of discomfort. A battery lodged in the esophagus could, if it starts to leak, create a perforation through the esophagus.